Re: ANSI art
By: Bagwaa to phigan on Sun Jul 13 2025 02:11 pm

haha, yeah, I did think about just doing that, not even sure what
the decent editors are, I looked at something called "durdraw"
which looks kinda neat.

you could always use old ansi packs to take tidbits or get inspiration.
you could convert bmp gif etc to ansi with some editors.
you can use figlet to generate menus.

One thing I did wonder is if I could somehow finagle AI todo all the
heavy listing for me, but it seems to only want to create ASCII
art and it's VERY basic even by my standards lmao.

i doubt it.
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Re: ANSI art
By: MRO to Bagwaa on Sun Jul 13 2025 11:00 pm

you could always use old ansi packs to take tidbits or get
inspiration. you could convert bmp gif etc to ansi with some editors.
you can use figlet to generate menus.

also check out this guy.
https://www.roysac.com/

there's also a collection of thedraw fonts here https://www.roysac.com/thedrawfonts-tdf.html

also cleaner is a great guy and he might draw you some
ansi if you compensate him for his work. https://cleaner.ansilove.org/releases.html
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Re: ANSI art
By: MRO to Bagwaa on Sun Jul 13 2025 11:24 pm

Use TheDraw and the fonts mentioned previously from Roy/SAC site to make
quick headers.
The Moebius ansi editor is the most photoshop like one for drawing pictures. blocktronics.github.io/moebius
Use Synchronet's ans2asc to convert them to a .MSG file and then use
Notepad++ or some other editor and strip out any empty space at the bottom
of your image.

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Use TheDraw and the fonts mentioned previously from Roy/SAC site to make quick headers. The Moebius ansi editor is the most photoshop
like one for drawing pictures. blocktronics.github.io/moebius

Moebius is a bit old now, last update 2021. Consider IcyDraw by mkrueger:

https://github.com/mkrueger/icy_tools

It has TheDraw font support, and half-block drawing like Moebius, but builds on it with layers+channels ala PhotoShop, SIXEL support, LUA plugins, and more! Highly recommend.

Current version of IcyDraw is 0.4.1: https://github.com/mkrueger/icy_tools/releases/tag/IcyDraw0.4.1

Cheers,
RetroSwim

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Re: ANSI art
By: Lord Raptor to MRO on Tue Jul 15 2025 09:06 am

Re: ANSI art
By: MRO to Bagwaa on Sun Jul 13 2025 11:24 pm

Use TheDraw and the fonts mentioned previously from Roy/SAC site to
make quick headers. The Moebius ansi editor is the most photoshop
like one for drawing pictures. blocktronics.github.io/moebius Use Synchronet's ans2asc to convert them to a .MSG file and then use
Notepad++ or some other editor and strip out any empty space at the
bottom of your image.

why are you telling me? i dont need any help.

i use thedraw or aciddraw. i dont have any empty space. i dont
convert them to a .msg file.
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Re: ANSI art
By: Retroswim to Lord Raptor on Wed Jul 16 2025 02:42 am

Thanks. Still trying to learn what's being used now.

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Re: ANSI art
By: MRO to Lord Raptor on Tue Jul 15 2025 03:26 pm

Sorry about that. I replied to the wrong thread.

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Re: ANSI art
By: Retroswim to Lord Raptor on Wed Jul 16 2025 02:42 am

https://github.com/mkrueger/icy_tools

It has TheDraw font support, and half-block drawing like Moebius, but
builds on it with layers+channels ala PhotoShop, SIXEL support, LUA
plugins, and more! Highly recommend.

yeah it's not bad. i like how it shows previews of the fonts.
i forgot which ones i made custom.

i'm not so sure i would use all those fancy features.
i still prefer a full screen interface for drawing ansi. not that i draw
ansi anymore.

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Re: ANSI art
By: Lord Raptor to MRO on Tue Jul 15 2025 04:03 pm

Re: ANSI art
By: MRO to Lord Raptor on Tue Jul 15 2025 03:26 pm

Sorry about that. I replied to the wrong thread.

no problem. dont quit bbsing because of me.
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Re: ANSI art
By: MRO to Lord Raptor on Wed Jul 16 2025 01:00 am

Re: ANSI art
By: MRO to Lord Raptor on Tue Jul 15 2025 03:26 pm
Sorry about that. I replied to the wrong thread.

no problem. dont quit bbsing because of me.

Just getting back into it. Been 30 years since I last used a
bbs mailer! No telling what I'm gonna quote or who I'll end up
responding to but I'll eventually get this interface down.

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Re: ANSI art
By: Lord Raptor to MRO on Wed Jul 16 2025 08:39 am

Just getting back into it. Been 30 years since I last used a
bbs mailer! No telling what I'm gonna quote or who I'll end up
responding to but I'll eventually get this interface down.

1985 to 1995 was the BBS era. It could have lasted longer, but the shareware closed source mindset killed it off quickly when people discovered open source linux.

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Re: ANSI art
By: Jcurtis to Lord Raptor on Wed Jul 16 2025 09:26 pm

1985 to 1995 was the BBS era. It could have lasted longer, but the shareware closed source mindset killed it off quickly when people discovered open source linux.

Linux and open source had nothing to do with the downfall of BBSes.
--
digital man (rob)

Synchronet "Real Fact" #30:
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Linux and open source had nothing to do with the downfall of BBSes.

IDK about you but it did for me.

* SLMR 2.1a *

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Re: ANSI art
By: Jcurtis to DIGITAL MAN on Wed Jul 16 2025 10:07 pm

Linux and open source had nothing to do with the downfall of BBSes.

IDK about you but it did for me.

Care to elaborate?
--
digital man (rob)

Steven Wright quote #1:
I'd kill for a Nobel Peace Prize.
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Jcurtis wrote to Lord Raptor <=-

1985 to 1995 was the BBS era. It could have lasted longer, but the shareware closed source mindset killed it off quickly when people discovered open source linux.

I don't think it was Linux that killed the BBS era, it was internet
access. People realized they could get a PPP account and log on
everywhere without getting a busy signal. Once Windows 95 came out and
the Dial-up Networking app made it simple to connect, that was the death
knell for BBSes.

Ironically, it was also a shot in the arm for BBSing, albeit
short-lived. Being able to download Fido packets over the internet
instead of going through the toll-based backbone system was a breath of
fresh air. Conversations could turn around in minutes/hours instead of
days. It was too late, though. By that time, people had discovered the
web.




--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
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1985 to 1995 was the BBS era. It could have lasted longer, but the shareware
closed source mindset killed it off quickly when people discovered open source linux.

Linux and open source had nothing to do with the downfall of BBSes.

While I tend to agree, and don't know what the OP had in mind, by opening things up it could have given some folks other things to do with their
"online" time while cutting into their BBSing time.

Although I never took my BBS down, discovering linux took a lot of the time
I had formerly dedicated to it. At some point, that pendulum did swing
back.

What I think really killed the "golden era" of BBSing was the growing availability of the Internet, regardless of whether the users were running linux or Windows or ???.


* SLMR 2.1a * Armadillo: A mouse built to government specs.
---
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What I think really killed the "golden era" of BBSing was the growing availability of the Internet, regardless of whether the users were running linux or Windows or ???.

The general public were never BBS users in the first place. Their world
was Compuserve, AOL, and later, the Internet.

Technical people populated the BBS world. When open source became widely available (linux), the BBS crowd abandoned ship. It could been different
with open source BBS software, but the shareware mindset persisted until
it was too late. Stubborn authors sank the ship.

* SLMR 2.1a *

---
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Re: ANSI art
By: Jcurtis to DUMAS WALKER on Thu Jul 17 2025 12:53 pm

The general public were never BBS users in the first place. Their world
was Compuserve, AOL, and later, the Internet.

Technical people populated the BBS world.

I disagree: there were tons of non-technical people (by today's standards) in the BBS usership - the majority in fact.

When open source became widely
available (linux), the BBS crowd abandoned ship. It could been different with open source BBS software

There were many open source BBS programs, before Linux even existed.

but the shareware mindset persisted until
it was too late. Stubborn authors sank the ship.

The loss of *users* killed the BBS age and those users were mostly *not* using Linux or or cared whether the source code to their web browser or other desktop software was open or not. "shareware mindset" had nothing to do with it.
--
digital man (rob)

This Is Spinal Tap quote #3:
How much more black could this be? and the answer is none. None more black. Norco, CA WX: 83.6øF, 48.0% humidity, 11 mph WNW wind, 0.00 inches rain/24hrs ---
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Re: ANSI art
By: Jcurtis to DUMAS WALKER on Thu Jul 17 2025 12:53 pm

What I think really killed the "golden era" of BBSing was the growing
availability of the Internet, regardless of whether the users were running
linux or Windows or ???.

The general public were never BBS users in the first place. Their world was Compuserve, AOL, and later, the Internet.

Technical people populated the BBS world. When open source became widely available (linux), the BBS crowd abandoned ship. It could been different with open source BBS software, but the shareware mindset persisted until it was too late. Stubborn authors sank the ship.

I don't think that's true at all.. Anyone who was using those services back then had to be technical enough to even own a computer. And they would have been the same types of people to use BBSes. Another thing is that local BBSes were often free, whereas those big online services cost money. I could see a lot of people using BBSes instead of those services so they wouldn't have to pay their subscription fees.

I was 12 when I first started using BBSes, so I wasn't even very technical yet.. There were a lot of other kids my age using BBSes around that time too.. And in fact, in "BBS: The Documentary", there was an episode where one particular sysop said "12 year olds who got a modem for Christmas" was a common thing, and often he'd close his BBS to new users for a couple months after Christmas because there would be a flood of kids who wanted to create new accounts.

Nightfox

---
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Jcurtis wrote to DUMAS WALKER <=-

What I think really killed the "golden era" of BBSing was the growing availability of the Internet, regardless of whether the users were running linux or Windows or ???.

The general public were never BBS users in the first place. Their world was Compuserve, AOL, and later, the Internet.

Technical people populated the BBS world. When open source became
widely available (linux), the BBS crowd abandoned ship. It could been different with open source BBS software, but the shareware mindset persisted until it was too late. Stubborn authors sank the ship.

You're as clueless about this subject as you are on everything else
you've bloviated about around here recently.

Is there *anything* that you actually know something about?



... Consistency isn't always good - especially if you're consistently wrong. --- MultiMail/Linux v0.52
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Re: ANSI art
By: Digital Man to Jcurtis on Wed Jul 16 2025 09:33 pm

Linux and open source had nothing to do with the downfall of BBSes.

It was probably Jesus.

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Re: ANSI art
By: Nightfox to Jcurtis on Thu Jul 17 2025 04:03 pm

were often free, whereas those big online services cost money. I could see lot of people using BBSes instead of those services so they wouldn't have to pay their subscription fees.

It was such BS when some BBSes went pay just because they added some small amount of Internet access from it.

Yeah, those boards died the quickest.

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Re: ANSI art
By: phigan to Nightfox on Fri Jul 18 2025 12:27 am

It was such BS when some BBSes went pay just because they added some small amount of Internet access from it.

Yeah, those boards died the quickest.

Nothing wrong with making an honest buck. But it only lasts until big money takes notice. Small operators are gradually squeezed out and eventually only giants remain. That's what the telcos and cable operators did to independent ISPs.

Like the shareware mindset, it was always doomed.

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Dumas Walker wrote to DIGITAL MAN <=-

What I think really killed the "golden era" of BBSing was the growing availability of the Internet, regardless of whether the users were
running linux or Windows or ???.

Windows 95's networking, a critical mass of email users and the
proliferation of "friendly" Internet apps like Netcomm's NetCruiser that bundled a dialer, browser, email client and news client all-in-one was a
body blow that BBSes never really recovered from.

Fun fact - NetCruiser email accounts came in the format
user@ix.netcom.com. NetCruiser was originally going to be called
"Internet Express", but they ran into copyright issues.

My dad retired in the early 90s after a career in accounting working on
Big Iron. He thought he might want to do some consulting, so I cobbled
together a 386/40, a couple of megs of RAM, a spare monitor, a copy
of Windows and a copy of Lotus 1-2-3.

Consulting didn't pan out, he got a Netcruiser account and started
emailing people he knew who had email and discovered newsgroups -
specifically alt.smokers.pipes, a community who turned out to be His
People.

He also thoroughly enjoyed side-scroller games like Commander Keen,
going through a video game phase he predated as a kid.

If it weren't for NetCruiser, he never would have gotten the first foot
onto the internet.





--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
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Nightfox wrote to Jcurtis <=-

around that time too.. And in fact, in "BBS: The Documentary", there
was an episode where one particular sysop said "12 year olds who got a modem for Christmas" was a common thing, and often he'd close his BBS
to new users for a couple months after Christmas because there would be
a flood of kids who wanted to create new accounts.

I remember the kids who started night-time BBSes on their parents' phone
lines, then had to take them down when people called during the day.

"STOP CALLING, MAN, MY PARENTS ARE REALLLLY PISSED!"




--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
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phigan wrote to Nightfox <=-

It was such BS when some BBSes went pay just because they added some
small amount of Internet access from it.

Yeah, those boards died the quickest.

I don't think I ever paid for BBS access. One-time donations or ensuring they didn't pay at gettogethers, yes.

One of the great attractors to running BBS was having people call your
board, leave messages and upload files - all without you having to make
a call or pay for a membership. :)



--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
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What I think really killed the "golden era" of BBSing was the growing availability of the Internet, regardless of whether the users were running linux or Windows or ???.

The general public were never BBS users in the first place. Their world
was Compuserve, AOL, and later, the Internet.

I disagree. When I first got into BBSing, those things were in their
infancy (or were yet to become a thing at all) and there were a lot of
non-IT folks using BBSes, myself included. Seemed like anyone who got a PC that had a modem was at least trying out BBSes.

Where I live *now* (a smaller, non-urban town), what you say is correct, but the reason here being that most people in this area (even the ones I worked with in IT when I first moved here) didn't have computers at home. When they got them, it was for getting on the internet. They skipped the BBSing
"phase."

Technical people populated the BBS world.

While there were a bunch, not all of them were technical and, of the ones
that were, some were more "radio" (HAM) technical than "PC" technical. I
was not "technical" when I started BBSing. BBSing was my gateway into
getting into IT.

I knew of some HAM BBSers back then that were not PC technical at all. I
don't think any of them migrated from BBSing to linux, but they did move
on to the internet eventually.

When open source became widely
available (linux), the BBS crowd abandoned ship. It could been different
with open source BBS software, but the shareware mindset persisted until
it was too late. Stubborn authors sank the ship.

I don't think they did. If they could run it on linux, they did. I do
agree that many of the maintainers of the established packages, like PC
Board, GT Power, Wildcat, etc., hung onto the shareware/commercial mindset too long. That said, one of the more popular BBS softwares, RBBS, was IIRC always open source or freeware. IIRC, either Renegade or Telegard was also free
to use by then. I don't think those were the only ones.


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but the shareware mindset persisted until
it was too late. Stubborn authors sank the ship.

The loss of *users* killed the BBS age and those users were mostly *not* using
Linux or or cared whether the source code to their web browser or other deskto
software was open or not. "shareware mindset" had nothing to do with it.

Of the ones I knew, none of them were linux users at that time. They may
have migrated to it years later, after deciding that Windows wasn't to
their liking.

They bought a new PC that came with Windows 9x, discovered the Internet,
and they were gone.


* SLMR 2.1a * The four snack groups: cakes, crunchies, frozen, sweets.
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Linux and open source had nothing to do with the downfall of BBSes.

It was probably Jesus.

No, I knew Jesus and Jesus (hey-zeus) was never a BBS user.


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Re: ANSI art
By: Dumas Walker to DIGITAL MAN on Thu Jul 17 2025 09:56 am

1985 to 1995 was the BBS era. It could have lasted
longer, but the shareware closed source mindset killed it off quickly when people discovered open source linux.

^^ another guy said this

this is entirely wrong. also in my area in the midwest 95-97 all the way to 2000 was a hot area. people call that the 3rd wave. linux had nothing to do with it. it wasnt a big player.

What I think really killed the "golden era" of BBSing was the growing availability of the Internet, regardless of whether the users were
running linux or Windows or ???.

people back then wanted to be on the internet. it was exciting. sysops didnt want to adopt the internet. a few sysops allowed internet email which was a good attempt. we got files from the internet and put them on bbses. it was just a losing battle.

we should have become mini isps. that would have been the only thing to keep it going strong for a little while longer. we all couldn't do that due to money and infrastructure reasons, though.

it's just a case of not giving people what they wanted.
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Re: Re: ANSI art
By: poindexter FORTRAN to phigan on Fri Jul 18 2025 08:42 am

I don't think I ever paid for BBS access. One-time donations or
ensuring they didn't pay at gettogethers, yes.

One of the great attractors to running BBS was having people call
your board, leave messages and upload files - all without you having
to make a call or pay for a membership. :)

i knew a guy who lived in an area where it was a bridge to other local areas and not a long distance call. he had multiple lines so people could come in and talk and he also provided internet access.

those types of systems should be pay systems to offset costs.
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Re: ANSI art
By: Dumas Walker to DIGITAL MAN on Fri Jul 18 2025 11:02 am

browser or other deskto software was open or not. "shareware mindset"
had nothing to do with it.

Of the ones I knew, none of them were linux users at that time. They
may have migrated to it years later, after deciding that Windows
wasn't to their liking.

They bought a new PC that came with Windows 9x, discovered the
Internet, and they were gone.

linux was just something you played with if you were at power user at that time.
i used to have a subscription to maximum linux and other ones that would come with cds with linux distros on them and i'd play with them. redhat was
always the best. i think i was using mandrake linux for a while.

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Re: ANSI art
By: Dumas Walker to PHIGAN on Fri Jul 18 2025 11:02 am

No, I knew Jesus and Jesus (hey-zeus) was never a BBS user.

You don't have to be user to bring on something's downfall.
Necessarily.

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